Justice League #37Review

Not every DC villain has fared well in the transition to the New 52 universe. Luckily for Amazo fans, that particular villain is doing quite well for himself in the latest arc of Geoff Johns' Justice League. Granted, the original Amazo android is only mentioned in this issue. But the idea of converting a power-mimicking robot into a deadly viral pandemic is inspired, and it gives this story the oomph it needs. Its a zombie story, but one with enough scope to suit a team as powerful as the Justice League.

The threat of the Amazo Virus only grows more intriguing in issue #37 as we meet Patient Zero in the flesh. And what a collection of flesh he is. Patient Zero gives a face to the enemy facing our heroes. He also allows for a fun new spin on Amazo as a villain. This foe is biological rather than technological, but the end result is similar enough. Patient Zero gives this story an added bit of variety, as now the conflict rages on two fronts. There's the mental and psychological battle as the League's resident geniuses race against the clock to develop a cure. And there's the more visceral battle as Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman trade blows with a hulking brute who can replicate any power it sees.

This two-pronged approach plays well to new artist Jason Fabok's strengths. He can certainly do bold and dramatic fight scenes, of which there are plenty in this issue. If anything, Johns and Fabok have a tendency to rely too much on large splash pages. They look good, but they're not much for advancing the story or building up the plot. Luckily, Fabok also handles emotion and character interaction well. The scene of interaction between Lex Luthor and his sister is a great example of this. Fabok is able to show Luthor's remote but still tangible human side every bit as much as Johns' dialogue.

Luthor remains the star of the series in the aftermath of his grand victory in Forever Evil. Where once he was riding high and basking in the affection of an adoring public, bow he finds his research corrupted and himself responsible for a plague of devastating proportions. Great hubris deserves a great fall, but even so you have to feel bad for the guy. Johns is able to explore the growing emotional turmoil driving Luthor while also continuing to play up the mystery behind his motivations and his real purpose in joining the Justice League. Luthor is a fascinating nut this book is slowly cracking open.

My main area of disappointment with this arc right now is that it's not much of a Justice League story. Apart from Luthor, Captain Cold, and the Trinity, the rest of the team are sitting this one out. Even Cold is relegated to a lone, short exchange with Luthor. It's disappointing to know that between this arc and Convergence next spring, we may be waiting until June to see characters like Cyborg, Power Ring, and Shazam back in action again.

Mind you, Johns writes a great Batman/Superman dynamic. There's a brotherly bond that shows between the two, even in a situation as dire as this. The banter about Batman's decision to name his armor "The Haz-Bat Suit" is easily the highlight of this entire issue. It's just disappointing that a conflict as big and far-reaching as this doesn't allow any room for the rest of the team to shine.

The Verdict

Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok continue to deliver a strong Justice League storyline anchored by a clever new take on Amazo and the unknown quantity that is Lex Luthor. While issue #37 does disappoint in its overuse of big splash images and a limited cast, it still offers plenty of excitement and strong character work.